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Each year, the two-acre Plaza De Cesar Chavez is transformed into a holiday fantasy with over 60 musical and animated exhibits, glittering lights and the 60-foot Community Giving Tree. Some of the original displays housed in one of the largest exhibits, the Lima Train, include a melting snowman, caroling mice and elf woodcrafters.
We are a 501 (c3) non-profit organization that brings this free community event through sponsorships, donations, grants, and programs. This is a large endeavor for the volunteer Board of Directors who spends their free time in support of Christmas in the Park. Each summer, we host "Christmas in July", a Bar-B-Que fundraiser under the stars and the brightly lit palm trees, where guests dine and dance in support of the event. Throughout the rest of the year, Santa and his elves work long and hard to clean, spruce and fix up the displays, work with companies to develop sponsorships, find grants, and raise the necessary dollars to bring this magical holiday experience to you every year.
More information can be found at What is Christmas in the Park?
Absolutely nothing! It’s free to visit Christmas in the Park with your friends and families. Our mission is to bring you “A Gift of Joy and Magic”. It is expensive to produce Christmas in the Park every year and we ask you to visit our food court or to make a donation to the program. All of the proceeds go directly into bringing this event free to you and your family and friends every year.
Christmas in the Park officially opens for the 2011 season on November 25, 2011 at 5:30pm starting with the Community Giving Tree Lighting Ceremony. After, the event is open everyday, including Christmas, from 9am to midnight through January 1, 2012. For a complete schedule of all the events going on at the park, click here.
Christmas in the Park is an annual holiday tradition that takes place in the heart of Downtown San José at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez on Market St. between San Fernando and San Carlos St. For over 30 years, this whimsical event has brought people from all over the Bay Area together during the holidays. Guests enter a winter wonderland of lights, songs and local entertainment while strolling through an enchanted forest of trees decorated by San José schools, community groups and businesses.
There are plenty of ways to help keep the lights burning for Downtown San José’s oldest holiday tradition! Without donations and help from our supporters, we would not be able to put on this event, so we would like to thank everyone for their support!
To be put on Santa’s Good List, donate now! For Sponsors, please visit the sponsors page to learn more about the benefits of being a Christmas in the Park sponsor.
Donations can be made here, directly on our site by clicking the "Donate Now" button on our homepage.
We offer a variety of sponsor packages for those wishing to be a part of Christmas in the Park. Our sponsor packages are tailored to fit each sponsors needs, as well as providing them with a follow-up report at the end of the holiday season. If you would like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities from the pricing to what we can offer, please email info@christmasinthepark.com and put in the subject line "Sponsorship Inquiry."
There are several ways to support the park while it is open. Drop some change into any one of the donation boxes throughout the park or purchase raffle tickets, souvenir items or one of the Blinky's Favorite Eateries pins. Sponsor one of our displays by looking at our comprehensive sponsor packages. Whether you're able to donate $5, $100 or $1,000, we have something for you!
While the event is free, it costs several hundred thousand dollars to clean, maintain, and repair the displays, pay for security, city and county permits, set up, take down, daily site cleaning, and the required insurance to continue bringing the traditions and memories to you and your families each year.
Blinky’s Favorite Eateries is a new discount program that we are rolling out for the 2011 season. Together with local businesses in the surrounding downtown area as well as other local favorites all around the Bay Area, we have put together a discount program just for you! To get these great deals (List of participating restaurants and discounts will be available closer to the holiday season) you have to purchase a pin for $10 and wear it during your visit. These pins will feature our reindeer mascot and the year of the event so it’s a collectible! Each pin is only valid for one discount, so make all your friends and family have one!
Of course there are! Christmas in the Park is located in the heart of downtown and is surrounded by multiple restaurants all within walking distance. Purchase a Blinky's Favorite Eateries pin and you will receive special discounts at Christmas in the Park partner restaurants.
Stop by the information booth at Christmas in the Park or check out our Dining page to learn more about restaurants in San Jose.
Plenty of hotels border Christmas in the Park, but Santa's home away from home is the San Jose Marriott.
For other lodging options and hotel offers, click the link below to see what Downtown San Jose has to offer! San Jose Dining
Daily entertainment kicks off early December. Check out our schedule of events! We have everything from live music and performances to special sponsor days.
Want to be a part of the entertainment? More information can be found at Sounds of the Season.
The Christmas in the Park Food Court is located at the south end of the park near San Carlos St. where you will find an array of foods and tasty treats. Located in the north end of the park is "Santa's Shack" presented by the Downtown Kiwanis organization. There are both food and drinks located in each of the areas.
If you are looking for a recommendation for one of our partner restaurants, go to Blinky’s Favorite Eateries. You will find a list of Blinky's favorite restaurants, including the specials they offer to those who have purchased Blinky's Favorite Eateries pin.
Vendor applications will be made available mid-summer to early fall. You must fill out the application and send it in as soon as possible. Vendors are chosen on a points system. For more information, email citp@sanJoséca.gov
To be a part of the live entertainment, all acts must submit an application and go through a screening process with program directors. We welcome all kinds of acts from singing, dancing to other unusual and fun talents.
More information can be found at Sounds of the Season.
Christmas in the Park is going green this year and is asking everyone to send their applications in via email. Volunteers on the other hand sign up online so please check out the volunteer page for more information. All applications can be mailed to citp@sanjoséca.gov with the name of the application in the subject line.
Yes, there is. There is an ATM located at both the north and south ends of the park. Remember, there is a fee for using the ATM.
Find Santa at Santa’s Photo Den in the Park. Check out our event schedule to discuss with Santa your placement on the Good List.
Santa’s Photo Den
Since digital cameras were big on everyone’s wish list last year, Santa told us that it was okay for you to use your own digital camera to take a picture with him. We encourage you to bring your own camera and snap away! Anyone may visit Santa free of charge, but donations are appreciated. Remember! Just $1 from every visitor would help keep Christmas in the Park’s lights burning each year with no trouble!
We will also have disposable cameras available for purchase at our information booth.
It takes over 260,000 volunteer hours to make Christmas in the Park a reality. We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities ranging from a few hours a day to several weeks. Christmas in the Park is a popular choice for people in need of community service hours and students wanting to get more involved in the community.
More information can be found at www.citp.volunteerhub.com
All volunteers under the age of 18 must have a Minor Consent form signed by a parent or guardian to participate in the student volunteer program. An adult supervisor is needed to accompany all students under the age of 16. All volunteers, regardless of age, must sign a volunteer service form before the start of the event. Before you arrive at your volunteer appointment, please print out all waiver forms and bring them to the event, signed if you are a minor.
Volunteering is simple! All you have to do is go to www.citp.volunteerhub.com to sign up. Christmas in the Park is going green this year, so everything can be done online. However, when you come in for your shift, you may be asked to bring a signed form with you.
More information can be found at About Volunteering
Christmas in the Park is going green this year and is asking everyone to send their applications in via email. Volunteers on the other hand sign up online so please check out the volunteer page for more information.
To apply for the tree program, send applications to:
Community Trees:
communitytrees@christmasinthepark.com
High School Trees:
highschooltrees@christmasinthepark.com
Elves' Club Trees:
elvesclubtrees@christmasinthepark.com
Sponsor Trees:
sponsortrees@christmasinthepark.com
To apply for a spot at this years Sounds of the Seasons, send applications to:
entertainment@christmasinthepark.com
Vendors, please send applications to:
citp@sanjoseca.gov
All tree programs are on a first come, first serve basis. There are a variety of ways to decorate a tree at Christmas in the Park. Not sure which tree is right for you? Read more to find out which application you should fill out!
Located at the South end of the Park, the Sugar Plum Forest features the Community Trees and Elves' Club Trees.
More information can be found at the Sugar Plum Forest.
You should apply for a community tree if you belong to a non-profit organization or a non-secondary school in San Jose. Examples would be elementary-age or younger schools and classes. Because of the tremendous demand for the trees, there is no guarantee your organization will get a tree. All applicants will be on a fist come, first serve process. If your organization chooses to apply for an Elves' Club Tree (see below), you will be guaranteed a slot into all Elves' Club Trees until they are sold out. For more information, click here.
Community Tree Application
You should apply for the Elves' Club if you want a guaranteed tree or if you are not part of a business, organization or school. This guarantees a 6' to 8' tree that will be placed in the Sugar Plum Forest. There is a $75 fee for this program.
Elves’ Club Tree Application
The Holiday Tree Gallery is home to the Corporate/Sponsor Trees and High School Trees, and is located on the north end of the Park.
More information can be found at Holiday Tree Gallery.
This program offers local businesses a chance to show their holiday spirit and support of Christmas in the Park by sponsoring and decorating a tree. Decorations are colorful and often include creative elements that represent their company and brand.
Sponsor/Corporate Tree Application
This program is for high school art classes and organizations. It is open to high schools only and they must apply for this program. A nominal application fee is required if selected to participate. All trees in this program will be judged and awards are given to the winning schools.
High School Tree Application
The Bright Green Tree Zone is a new feature of Christmas in the Park that will showcase eco-friendly Christmas trees and tree decorations in a highlighted section of the event. The non-profit Our City Forest will provide potted trees (instead of cut trees), water them with recycled water, and replant them throughout our community after the event. With your help, the tree decorations will be environmentally friendly so that everything about the Bright Green Tree Zone will be better for our planet.
12-14 applicants will be selected to decorate a potted tree and will be automatically entered into the tree decoration contest for the chance to win a $350 grand prize donated by Garden City Sanitation. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis with priority to non-profit organizations with a valid San José address. Applicants that are not selected to participate in the Bright Green Tree Zone will be entered into the Christmas in the Park Community Tree program selection process (as available). Applications are due Friday, October 14.
San Jose Goes Bright Green!
Yes! Apply for the Elves' Club Tree Application. There is a $75 cost, but it includes a large sized live tree, two strings of lights, and an embellished sign for recognition.
More information can be found at the Sugar Plum Forest
Elves’ Club Tree Application
There are lots of ways! Sponsors can help renovate a display or sponsor one of our many holiday programs. We offer a variety of different sponsor packages for everyone. Check out our sponsor page for more information or email us at info@christmasinthepark.com
If your company would like to decorate a Christmas tree, then print and submit your application! Your company will be provided with one tree, approximately 7” tall, allowing prime spectator visibility. This will offer maximum exposure for company recognition. The tree will be placed in the Holiday Tree Gallery and will be seen by more than 400,000 spectators!
If you have any questions that you would like answered, message us via Facebook , and we will try our best to respond to you as soon as we can.
If you have anymore questions that require more communication and in depth knowledge, please email us at citp@sanjoséca.gov
For those of you who don’t know, the ice rink and carnival rides are not produced and managed by Christmas in the Park. Downtown Ice is a program of the San Jose Downtown Association. The candy apples and carnival rides that stretch along Paseo de San Antonio and known as Winter Wonderland, is managed by Giant Creative, a private business. Together, all three of us make up Downtown for the Holidays. We help bring business, entertainment, and fun to Downtown San Jose each year.
Downtown for the Holidays
Winter Wonderland
Downtown Ice
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